Socrates: Then now, Phaedrus, we can decide those other issues (Nu=n dh\ e0kei=na h1dh, w} Fai=dre, duna/meqa kri/nein), since we have agreed about these (tou/twn w(mologhme/nwn).
Phaedrus: What are they (Ta\ poi=a)?
Socrates: The ones we wanted to look
into, which brought us to our present conclusion (W{n dh\ pe/ri boulhqe/ntej
i0dei=n a0fiko/meqa ei0j to/de): how we
are to weigh up the reproach aimed at Lysias about his writing of speeches (o3pwj to\ Lusi/ou
te o1neidoj e0ceta/saimen th=j tw~n lo/gwn grafh=j te pe/ri), and speeches themselves (kai\ au0tou\j
tou\j lo/gouj), which were written scientifically
and which not (oi4 te/xnh| kai\ a1neu te/xnhj gra/fointo). Well then, what is scientific and what is
unscientific (to\ me\n ou]n e1ntexnon kai\ mh/) seems to me to have been demonstrated in
fair measure (dokei= moi dedhlw~sqai metri/wj).
Phaedrus: I thought so (E!doce/ ge dh/); but remind me again now (pa/lin de\
u9po/mnhso/n me pw~j).
We don’t need to be reminded of Socrates’
criteria for scientific and unscientific writing. What we need to be reminded
of is the reproach concerning writing that Lysias had suffered.
Socrates appended to the palinode a
prayer to Eros: ‘turn Lysias to philosophy (e0pi\ filosofi/an tre/yon),
so that Phaedrus, his lover (o9
e0rasth\j o3de au0tou=), may simply
turn his life towards love accompanied by philosophic discussions (a9plw~j pro\j E!rwta meta\ filoso/fwn
lo/gwn to\n bi/on poih=tai).’ Phaedrus
joins the prayer, and expresses his admiration of Socrates’ palinode: ‘I’m afraid
Lysias will appear wretched to me in comparison (o0knw~ mh/ moi o0 Lusi/aj ta/peinoj fanh=|) if he does consent to put up another logos
in competition with it (e0a\n
a1ra kai\ e0qelh/sh| pro\j au0to\n a1llon paratei=nai).’ From doubting Lysias’ ability to compete
with Socrates, Phaedrus turns to the reproach Lysias suffered in the hands of
an Athenian politician: ‘Indeed, my fine fellow (kai\ ga/r tij au0to\n, w} qauma/sie), just recently one of the politicians was
abusing him with this very charge (e1nagxoj tw~n politikw~n tou=t’ au0to\ loidorw~n w)nei/dize), and throughout all his abuse (kai\ dia\ pa/shj th=j loidori/aj) kept calling him a ‘speech-writer’ (e0ka/lei logo/grafon); so perhaps we shall find him refraining
from writing out of concern for his reputation (ta/x’ ou]n u9po\ filotimi/aj e0pi/sxoi
h9mi=n a2n tou= gra/fein).’
I won’t repeat here Socrates’ rebukes addressed
to Phaedrus – ‘you much mistake your friend, if you think him so frightened of
mere noise …’. What I want to point out is that at 277a Plato limits his
censure of writing to the discussion that followed the rebuke of Lysias for his
speech-writing. Untouched by that discussion, the palinode stands there as
Socrates’ living spoken word in contrast to Lysias’ written speech. In other
words, Plato leaves the palinode untouched by the discussion of writing, discussion
that follows the rebuke to Lysias as speech-writer at 257c, and leads to Socrates’
‘which brought us to the present discussion’ at 277a.
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